Sweet Ambition best of three-horse field

Sweet Ambition stalked the pace, took over in midstretch, and coasted home an easy three-length winner in Saturday's $45,000 Cactus Flower Handicap at Turf Paradise.

The six-furlong event for fillies and mares was decimated by scratches as the original field of eight was whittled down to three.

Sweet Ambition, owned by Chris Closson and trained by Peter Miller, paid $8.80. There was no place or show wagering. She covered the distance in 1:09.04 under Wilson Dieguez, and the winner's share of $27,000 pushed her career record to 4 wins in 23 starts for $153,675.

Shesa Private I, the 1-5 favorite, dueled with pacesetter Boy Toy through some brisk splits, got the better of that rival but had no answer for the winner's rally.